[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 145 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO TOM BRADLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 13, 1998

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, few elections have given me greater 
satisfaction than Tom Bradley's victory as mayor of Los Angeles in 
1973. At a time when militants and cynics were beginning to dominate 
the debate over race, Tom ignored the trend and assembled a coalition 
of blacks, whites and Latinos in his campaign. I know Martin Luther 
King would have been proud of Tom's accomplishment.
  Courage and strength are the words that come to mind when I look back 
at the life of Tom Bradley. I can't imagine many of us would have 
persevered when faced with the same barriers that Tom faced again and 
again. Grandson of a slave, son of sharecroppers. Tom moved to Los 
Angeles at the age of seven in 1924. LA in those days was not a city 
especially hospitable to black people. Certainly there were very few 
examples anywhere in the country of African-Americans who had achieved 
success in politics or other fields. But Tom embarked on his career as 
if none of that mattered.
  In 1941, Tom became a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, 
placing near the top on a recruitment exam. He spent 20 years on the 
force, eventually becoming lieutenant. At the time of his retirement, 
Tom was the highest-ranking black officer in the Department.
  Now began the most famous phase of Tom Bradley's life. Two years 
after leaving the LAPD, he ran for a seat on the Los Angeles City 
Council. In a preview of what was to come, Tom brought together blacks, 
Asians and whites to defeat a white candidate for the seat. He was the 
first African-American in the history of Los Angeles to be elected to 
the City Council.
  Tom always remained true to the idea of building coalitions among 
different groups. This was not only a political strategy, but an honest 
expression of Tom's humanity. He genuinely liked people, and was as 
comfortable in the neighborhoods of Fairfax Avenue, Chinatown and Boyle 
Heights as in South Central Los Angeles. He was exactly the kind of 
person you would want to be mayor of a large and incredibly diverse 
city.
  In 1969, Tom Bradley ran for mayor of LA. The incumbent, Sam Yorty, 
waged a blatantly racist campaign to defeat Tom. Rather than reacting 
with anger and hostility, which would have been understandable, Tom 
took the loss with equanimity. He vowed to fight again--at the ballot 
box. Tom's 1973 victory changed Los Angeles forever. For one, he proved 
that a black person could be elected mayor in a city with a relatively 
small black population. Even more important was the vivid demonstration 
that unity can triumph over divisiveness. Unlike many others then and 
now, Tom didn't play the ``race card.''
  I don't want to cover in detail Tom's 20-year record as mayor, except 
to note that he opened up city hall to people from all backgrounds and 
brought the Olympics to LA in 1984. It says something that he was re-
elected four times with only token opposition. I can't imagine Los 
Angeles will ever have a more popular mayor than Tom Bradley.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering Tom Bradley, who 
represented the best America has to offer. He was a gentleman, a 
fighter for equal rights and justice and a man who fervently believed 
in the idea that through hard work and determination anything is 
possible. I hope that future generations will look to Tom Bradley as a 
model for how to live one's life.

                          ____________________